Merit

[TheBirdintheCave]

What does everyone think of the girl's name Merit? I floated it to my husband the other day and, surprisingly, he said he liked it.

It has a lot of uses in different cultures: it's ancient Egyptian (meaning 'beloved'), is a (sort of) virtue name in English and is a diminutive of Margaret in various European languages.

We have a girl's name chosen already (Hero) but twins run in my family so there's a chance we might end up with two 😂 Plus, names are fun 😅

Big brother to be is Gilbert.

Hero in Much Ado was a bit of a drip, wasn't she?

I know a little Hero and it’s a lovely name. Most people have heard of Hero and Leander or Shakespeare’s Hero and so will know it’s a girl’s name.

I don’t think the same is true for Merit- people will just understand it as the noun.

My maiden name was Gilbert and I was horribly teased because of Gilbert the alien back in the 90s. I hated it and was so glad to change it to something totally different when I got married.

Yes you’re right, I’ve just googled it and it says it was originally a boys name. I never knew that, I’ve only every known female Merediths.

By the way I love the name Gilbert. (I’m a huge Anne of Green Gables fan)

Yep this^^

@ShillyShallySherbet Thank you. We get the Green Gables comment a lot 😅Gilbert Blythe is a lovely character so the comparison is always welcome :)

What about Marin? It's recognizable as a name. Merit isn't. It is about attainment worthiness and awards to me. It's not a name. Doesn't go with Gilbert. Hero is a Shakespearean character. Never heard it used anywhere else as a name. It begs lots of un funny jokes for the poor child forever. No nickname to hide in either. Please name your baby/babies nice real names. So many to choose from.

Most people have heard of Hero and Leander or Shakespeare’s Hero

I think you are wildly over estimating the general public here.
I am old and went to a grammar school where we did study a different Shakespeare each year, and I hadn't heard of Hero. My (adult) dc didn't study anywhere near as much Shakespeare as I did if any .
I suspect if you went outside your own little circle and asked a random million people across society, you would find a very, very small minority would be able to tell you anything about Hero and Leander or Shakespeare's Hero.

As I said before, Hero is staying. It is a real name, just not one you hear every day. It's Greek in origin.

Everyone here has convinced me to not use Merit in combo with it so no worries there :)

Yeah she kinda was 😂 I wouldn't be naming a daughter directly after the character though, just using the name. My husband loves the play in general so it's that association rather than the character herself that appeals. We know a Beatrice so can't use that.

The fact that hero is a really name doesn't mean your child isn't going to struggle with it. Name your child for their life, not yours

The only time I've ever heard of a Hero is Myleene Klass's child. I don't think' it's a great name to be saddled with.

I have an odd-but-real name (though weirdly it's now becoming more popular, probably because the 90s tv association that I was teased with as a teenager no one remembers anymore). It hasn't ruined my life and nor did I struggle with it.

Conversely, my brother has a name that was very common in the 90s (think Mark or Tom) and was always known by his surname or his first name plus an initial and he hated it. He struggled with his totally normal name more than me with my unusual one and in ways that my parents couldn't have predicted.

I think my point is, I could pick something from the top ten that I don't like for 'safety' and end up with a child who doesn't like their name because four other people in their class have it.

Or there could be a tv show next year with a main character called Hero (like Otis in 'Sex Education' for example), the name could sky rocket up the charts and I could end up with the popularity issue anyway.

It's very hard to guess where trends will go or how someone will feel about their name. The best I can do is pick something my husband and I like and have put a lot of thought and research into choosing.

You can’t. Neither can you really have two children called Merit and Gilbert, TBH.

It is a very very weird choice, given the hefty use of the word merit in the schooling system.

Merryn is nice, or Mirren.

@Luredbyapomegranate Merryn is nice but sounds a bit like my own name so we'd ruled that one out.

The more I think about this comment the more it annoys me. Is the baby name board forbidden to people who aren't pregnant? I'm autistic and names are one of my special interests. I've always been fascinated by their etymologies. Is that not allowed?

People can dream about naming children who don't exist yet and post and ask for people's opinions, right? You don't need a positive pregnancy test to access this board.

Also, it has taken us a long time to get pregnant due to fertility issues and I had a MMC in March which was a hellish time, so forgive me for being excited and optimistic about this one.

I don't think people are commentating about the fact it is unusual. People are talking about the meaning of it. The fact you would seem to be suggesting she is a hero, which is where most people's minds will go. It is setting them up to be in a position where they are unlikely to live up to this big expectation you are giving them.
In just the same way people have explained to you that 'merit' is a more ordinary grade, and you have taken that on board.

The best I can do is pick something my husband and I like and have put a lot of thought and research into choosing.

I agree with this, and generally would suggest parents to be don't tell people the name they have chosen until after the baby arrives. Anyone putting the name out there before then is opening themselves up to people sharing their opinions.

Putting it on a 'Baby Names thread on the internet is positively inviting opinions and comments. I realise it was merit you initially were asking opinions on, but you have been a bit naïve to think people won't comment on any of the names you put here.

No do not like it at all.

@UsingChangeofName I don't mind people commenting on Hero if they want to. I did think that they probably would but, since it got a good reception here the last time I posted about it, I didn't think it would go the other way this time 😂

I like having discussions about names ☺️

How can you possibly know it's twins at 5 weeks pregnant?

I never said I was pregnant with twins 🤔 I said twins run in my family so there is a possibility there might be two.

Merit us a bit of paper given when you've done well at school isn't it?

I did laugh to myself a little with Merit because I went straight to merit mark. It's awful. Hero is a little better but still a bit silly imo. Gilbert is a nice name and a nice association. And because of that, it really does not go with Merit or Hero.

I personally wouldn’t use Merit because that’s what’s given in school for good behaviour and unless you have plans to homeschool, they’re going to get some stick. I do know of a Marit, however, and my mind has never jumped to “merit” upon hearing her name!

Whilst I do like the name Hero, again it has a meaning that might be a burden, particularly during the teenage years, maybe? I love Hera, though.

My daughter has a lovely and unusual Greek name (just a name, no literal meaning) that some family members struggled with when they first heard, but it was all forgotten when she arrived and it’s just perfect for her.

So if these names still feel right for you when the time comes, go for it.